Center for Earth Ethics

Union Theological Seminary Climate Emergency Community Assembly
2021-04-22 - 2021-04-23
Earth Week: April 22nd and 23rd, 2021 / 2:00-4:30 pm

Union Theological Seminary has recently declared a climate emergency, being the first seminary in the world to do so. The declaration commits Union to adopting a climate mobilization plan with the goal of eliminating our school’s carbon emissions in the next ten years. The plan will recommend changes to Union’s facilities, curriculum, and community engagement.

Union has committed to a democratic process for creating the plan, which will take the form of a Community Assembly on April 22nd and 23rd. The Community Assembly will consist of 15 students, 5 faculty, 5 staff, and 5 alums.

Attached is a copy of the Emergency Declaration, the Assembly Itinerary, and a Google Form if you are interested in participating. All students should have also gotten an email with a slightly more robust explanation and access to all the links as well.

Faith Leaders Cohort at the Upcoming US Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training
2021-04-22 - 2021-05-02
Registration Closes March 24th!

The Center for Earth Ethics is kicking off Earth Day by co-hosting a Faith Leaders cohort at the upcoming Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training happening April 22 – May 2. We are teaming with The Climate Reality Project to create specific sessions that will help faith leaders from across traditions integrate climate activism into their work.

THIS IS OUR MOMENT FOR CHANGE. YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN.
The Climate Reality Leadership Corps Virtual US Training will feature four days of two-hour live broadcasts, with additional on-demand viewing and interactive sessions available between April 22 and May 2.
FAITH COHORT REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Visit the Registration link at Climate Reality. To register to be part of the Faith Cohort please answer the following questions in the registration form as outlined below:
– Do you currently volunteer or organize with any groups focused on climate change or environmental justice? Please answer “YES”
– Organization Name: Please write “Center for Earth Ethics”
This will help us ensure that you are given access to all of the faith specific events and tables.
REGISTER HERE
During the training, you’ll join broadcast sessions with some of the world’s leading climate experts and activists – led by former Vice President Al Gore – along with breakout sessions designed to dive deeper into the most important climate topics of today. Sessions will focus on three key themes in the fight for an equitable and sustainable future:

Stopping fossil fuel expansion
Accelerating just climate solutions
Driving federal climate action in the US

The Virtual US Training offers the chance to connect with other activists just like you and join a global network of world changers making a real difference for the planet when it matters.There is no cost to attend and our flexible online format is designed to work with your schedule. This is our time and your year to make a difference.
*Note on Scheduling:
We will offer the Faith Cohort option during the weekday training schedule. If the weekday schedule does not work for you and you would like to participate in the weekend training schedule, please let us know. Feel free to email Jennifer Fei at jennifer.fei@climatereality.com with any questions or to discuss your options for participating in the Faith Cohort.
REGISTER HERE
Looking forward to seeing you April, 22nd!
– The Center for Earth Ethics Team

The Rights of Nature in a Wellbeing Society
2021-04-28
When we think about what is necessary to create and sustain societies grounded in wellbeing, respect for the rights of everything in our natural world is crucial. But how do we define the “rights” of nature? And what does it look like to uphold these rights in practice, especially in a world that has placed capitalistic values largely at the center of its decision-making and law-making processes?

On Wednesday, April 28th at 9:00am PST / 12 pm EST, in the latest installment of the EcoCiv Dialogues on Global Systems Change series, join the Institute for Ecological Civilization and YES! Magazine for a discussion with leaders who have been redefining what it means to establish and protect the rights of nature for the sake of all living things on our planet. Click the button below to register!

Register for the Event

Panelists:

Melissa Troutman – Co-director, The Invisible Hand
Mona Polacca – Chair, International Council of the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers/ CEE Original Caretakers Senior Fellow
Hermann E. Ott – Founder and Managing Director, Germany Office for ClientEarth
Joe Bowersox III – Dempsey Endowed Chair of Environmental Politics and Law in the Department of Environmental Science, Willamette University

Moderator: Wm. Andrew Schwartz – Vice President, EcoCiv

Faith + Food Coalition Dialogues
2021-05-06 - 2021-06-03
Faith based organizations bringing together voices from around the world to contribute to the UN Food Systems Summit.
Independent Dialogues Series on Faith May 6th – June 3rd, 2021 in advance of the Food Systems Summit July 19th – 21st, 2021.
Register and join the community dialogue at faithandfood.earth.

Food security, access, and justice

MAY 6

Food insecurity is on the rise in some of the world’s most developed countries and yet in these same countries an overabundance of unhealthy food options is driving rates of high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease. There is an immediate need to improve food quality, reduce waste, reduce marketing of unhealthy foods and ultra-processed foods in low-income communities and developing countries. Simultaneously there must be an increase in equitable access to nutritious, culturally appropriate foods that are produced agroecologically and minimize climate change impacts.

Healing the earth, healing our bodies

MAY 13

The globe is facing a dual health crisis: hunger and poor diet. Both are functions of an imbalanced system that creates scarcity to foster excess. The global adoption of a heavy diet of salt, sugar, and red meat creating with it mass ecosystem destruction and global health issues. Healing will only come from balance and by moving away from global extraction that poisons the water and land we depend upon. Due to the ubiquitous influence of the industrialized food system, there is also more need for education and awareness about ways to prepare foods healthfully.

Regenerating the Earth

MAY 20

Each year, Earth Overshoot Day marks the day humans surpass the Earth’s ability to regenerate the amount that’s been taken from it. In 2019 Earth Overshoot Day was July 19 and in 2020, because of Covid-19 Earth Overshoot Day was August 22. We take too much and leave too little. It’s time to change that and learn to live and farm and consume and dispose in regenerative ways that let the world and all that depend on it flourish

Farm and Food Worker Rights

MAY 27

Food and farm workers around the world are united by their poor treatment, low wages, and poverty. Those who put food on the tables of the world often can’t afford to put healthy food on their own. In order to achieve SDG 8 and to bring more health and dignity to the world’s food systems, food and farm workers must be treated equitably.

Empowering Local Communities

JUN 3

As the world has globalized the hubs responsible for providing basic needs have become monopolized, less diverse, and more dispersed to such a degree that just five countries are responsible for 60% of the world’s food supply. Building resilience to climate shocks means directing financing for local agro development, increasing equitable access, and engaging local Indigenous and community growers to produce bioregional appropriate foods that can be supplemented by world markets.

Faith + Food Coalition Steering Committee Members:

'Faith and Food: Reflections for WHO Health Week'
2021-06-10 11:00 - 12:00 UTC
The Faith + Food Coalition:
‘Faith and Food: Reflections for WHO Health Week’Thursday, June 10th, 11 am ET

To contribute to the UN Food Systems Summit, the Faith + Food Coalition hosted five separate interfaith, multi-stakeholder dialogues corresponding to each of the five Action Tracks. The objective of the dialogues was to explore how faith communities – including Indigenous communities – can support the transformation of global food systems to being sustainable, accessible, equitable, and regenerative. This panel will reflect on the dialogues and offer insights into increased faith engagement leading up to the Food Systems Summit and beyond.

We need everyone engaged to find local and global food systems solutions for healthy people and a healthy planet. Join us! www.faithandfood.earth

Andrew Schwartz has nearly a decade of experience working with community leaders and elected officials around the world to build movements, craft communications and affect change on climate and environmental issues. He is the Director of Sustainability and Global Affairs at the Center for Earth Ethics where he works to change both policies and culture to advance the sustained well-being of the people of the world. A graduate of the Union Theological Seminary, Andrew began his career as a youth representative to the United Nations Rio+20 Conference in Brazil in 2012. A native of Oregon, Andrew and his wife and daughter live in Portland.

Kelly Moltzen is a tireless advocate of making connections between food, faith, and social justice. In addition to being a co-convener of the Interfaith Public Health Network, Kelly is a program manager at the Institute for Family Health with the Bronx Health REACH initiative. She is a 2015 Re:Generate Fellow with the Food, Health and Ecological Well-Being Program of Wake Forest University School of Divinity, Professional Development Co-Chair with the Religion Member Interest Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and a member of the Ecumenical/Interfaith Committee of the USA Secular Franciscan Order. She has an MPH from NYU, completed her dietetic internship with the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and has a BS in Nutritional Sciences & Dietetics from the University of Delaware. Kelly was recognized as part of Hunter College’s NYC Food Policy Center 40 Under 40 Class of 2020.

Dr. Marium Husain is an oncology hospitalist at the Ohio State University James Comprehensive Care Center. She graduated from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and completed a residency in Internal Medicine. She will be pursuing a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology. Marium has been working on community service projects in the Columbus area and abroad for the past 10 years. As a board member of the national non-profit, IMANA (Islamic Medical Association of North America), she has been working on public health education and creating domestic campaigns for food insecurity, reproductive health, mental health and climate change.

Joshua Basofin is a lawyer, conservationist, sustainability advisor, and climate change organizer. After a stint as a researcher and teaching assistant at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, Joshua worked as a sustainability advisor, first in Tel Aviv and then in New York with UK based nonprofit Forum for the Future. He now serves as the Director of Climate Action for Parliament of the World’s Religions.

Bibi la Luz Gonzales is an international political economist merging food security. Climate, sustainability and human rights. She is the founder of Come Mejor Wa’ik//Eat Better Wa’ik. Bibi is a positive and enthusiastic multilingual Global Shaper, One Young World Ambassador, World Merit Guatemala Office Representative, and Merit360 SDG2 Executor.

Steve Chiu is Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation’s Representative at the United Nations. In alignment with Tzu Chi’s work in disaster relief, climate action, education for global citizenship, sustainable development and gender equality, Steve works to build relationships, share best practices and develop programs with other organizations to make tangible impacts on the ground, with the mission of alleviating the suffering of those in need. With over 19 years of experience in community based development and local interfaith partnership, Steve seeks to connect the importance of grassroots action to policies that are being developed on the international level.

Almamy Chouaibou Diagan
Co-Founder, Smart System Services + Rim Robotique designing technological solutions adapted to our cities to reduce the impact of man on the phenomenon of global warming. Co-Founder of the ‘’Union des Jeunes entrepreneurs Mauritanien’’ and member of the Network of young Mauritanian scientists.

Stineke Oenema is the Global Coordinator of the UN System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSN)

Dr. Maria P. Neira has been directing the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health at the World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland since September 2005. Throughout her tenure and up until now she has led and advised on policy and management in key areas of environmental health. Prior to that she served as Under-Secretary of Health and President of the Spanish Food Safety Agency. From 1993-1998 she was Coordinator of the Global Task Force on Cholera Control.
Dr Neira began her career as a medical coordinator working with refugees in El Salvador and Honduras for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). She then spent several years working in different African countries during armed conflicts. In early 2019, she was nominated among the top 100 policy influencers in health and climate change.

Dr. Martin Frick is the Deputy of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Food Systems Summit 2021. Previously, he served as the senior director of UN Climate Change where he oversaw the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement and the secretariat’s climate action work.

The Faith + Food Coalition is convened by the Center for Earth Ethics in response to the call for contributions to the UN Food Systems Summit 2021.
Join us! www.faithandfood.earth

Interfaith Summit Dialogue on Sustainable Food Systems
2021-07-07
July 7, 2021 from 15:00 to 17:00, East African Time (New York 08:00 to 10:00; Rome 14:00 to 16:00; New Delhi 17:30- 19:30; Bangkok 19.00- 21:00)
We welcome you to an Interfaith dialogue to engage global faith and indigenous communities with the Food Systems Summit process. This co-convened dialogue (UN and faith-based organizations), through shared experiences and learnings underlining shared values and principles, spirituality and beliefs, is an opportunity to promote solidarity and mutual accountability with local communities, stewardship of the environment and sustainability of food systems.
Discussants

Rev. Nicta M. Lubaale, General Secretary, Organization of African Instituted Churches ( Uganda/ Kenya)
Mrs Wallapa van Willenswaard, Innovation Network International INI, International Network of Engaged Buddhists (Thailand)
Debra Boudreaux, Tzu Chi Foundation, ( USA)
Gopal Patel, Bhumi Global ( India/ US)

Convenor: Andrew Schwartz, Director of Sustainability and Global Affairs, Center For Earth Ethics (USA)
Curator: Angeline Munzara, Global Sector Leader, Livelihoods, Global Impact, World Vision International & Member of the Strategy Group- Food For Life Campaign- WCC-EAA (Zimbabwe/ South Africa)
Moderator: Rev. Eugene Cho, President and CEO of Bread for the World (USA)
REGISTER

Faith + Food - Planting Seeds for Change
2021-07-27 02:00 - 03:00 UTC
What are the impacts of our global food systems on people and the planet? What can we learn from Indigenous communities and traditional food practices? How can a respect for faith and values make food systems more healthy, sustainable, and equitable?
To help answer these questions, the Faith + Food Coalition will host “Faith + Food: Planting Seeds for Change” on July 27, 2021 at 8 a.m. Central European Summer Time (2 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time in the US). This global online forum will present the Coalition’s findings and recommendations to improve food security and access in conjunction with the United Nations Food Systems Pre-Summit in Rome. The Pre-Summit—which will engage policymakers, advocates, NGOs, healthcare leaders, and others from around the world—is part of the lead up to the UN Food Systems Summit on September 24 in New York.
“Values and ethics must be included in the global policy-making conversation about food,” said Karenna Gore, executive director of the Center for Earth Ethics. “We are honored to convene this forum with people who bring real insight about this essential dimension of human life.”

From top left: Chris Elisara, Marium Husain, Lina Mahy, Gopal Patel, Andrew Schwartz
Speakers will be Dr. Chris Elisara, director of the World Evangelical Alliance’s Creation Care Task Force and a senior fellow at Duke Divinity School’s Ormond Center; Dr. Marium Husain, president of the Islamic Medical Association of North America and a hematology/oncology fellow at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center; Lina Mahy, technical officer in the World Health Organization’s Multisectoral Action in Food Systems Unit; and Gopal Patel, co-founder and director of Bhumi Global. Andrew Schwartz, the director of sustainability and global affairs at the Center for Earth Ethics, will moderate the discussion.
“Planting Seeds for Change” builds upon five interfaith dialogues that CEE convened in May and June as part of a formal UN process to engage diverse stakeholders in the Food Systems Summit. The Food + Faith dialogues explored how faith communities—including Indigenous communities—could support the transformation of global food systems toward something that was truly sustainable, accessible, equitable, and regenerative. They engaged grassroots organizers, farmers, food advocates, and policymakers to gather insights and develop holistic, inclusive recommendations.
“Engaging faith-based groups and Indigenous communities is essential to shifting worldviews toward food and the natural world,” says Schwartz. “We’re delighted to have been invited to organize this forum alongside the Pre-Summit.”
“Planting Seeds for Change” will review key findings from the five Food + Faith Dialogues, identify crucial topics for the Summit to address, and issue calls to action.
The Food + Faith Coalition comprises seven groups—the Center for Earth Ethics, Bhumi Global, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, Interfaith Public Health Network, Islamic Medical Association of North America, Parliament of the World’s Religions, and the World Evangelical Alliance’s Creation Care Task Force –that came together to create a platform for faith groups and Indigenous communities around the world to contribute to the UN Food Systems Summit.
The forum is open to all without charge, but registration is required.
REGISTER 

National Faithlands Gathering 2021
2021-08-25 - 2021-08-27
Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative
National Faithlands Gathering 2021
August 25th – 27th

Food, Faith & Farms Conference on August 25th
National Faithlands Gathering full day program August 26th
Two Farm and Garden Tours: August 25th and August 27th

For an Agenda with the full list of 12 break-out sessions and plenaries for Food, Faith & Farms Conference August 25th – click here.
Register for the 3 Day gathering here

The Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative works to:

Reconnect religious people to a sustainable food system through their faith community
Expand the base of the sustainable agricultural movement in order to improve public policy

The Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative advances this vision by:

Connecting congregations with local farmers and gardeners to increase access to organic food and strengthen local economies.
Sharing models, strategies and resources across faith traditions to help leaders bring programs and best practices to their congregations, camps and retreat centers.
Providing one stop shopping for speakers, educational materials, and advocacy resources to help congregations engage to improve their understanding of and impact on the food system.
Empowering leaders to develop congregational food policies facilitating a connection between the sacred creation and what congregants consume when they come together to pray or celebrate.

Register

Join Interfaith Food for our 8th annual Faith, Food, and Farms Conference
Albert J. Boro Community Center in San Rafael
Lay leaders and clergy leading projects faith community projects to support access to food, and food system advocacy: This Conference is For You!
Be inspired by peers from diverse backgrounds working for food justice and a more sustainable agricultural system. The interactive format includes interactive discussions; and panels highlighting successful local and national projects.
Topics will include: Community Supported Agriculture and local procurement during the COVID Pandemic; utilizing faith- community commercial kitchens to help farmers and a small-scale food entrepreneurs grow their businesses; and advocacy for local food procurement.
For an Agenda with the full list of 12 break-out sessions and plenaries click here.
Register
The Center for Earth Ethics is proud to be among the collaborating partners for this event.

With support from:

Global Inter-faith Dialogue on Food Systems
2021-09-02
02 September from 16:00 to 18:00, East African Time, 9:00 AM Eastern Time
Register
Access to healthy, nutritious food is a human right and yet it remains out of reach for far too many. In this Decade of Action, there is much to do and it will require new partnerships and coalitions of actors who believe we can overcome the challenges in front of us. This global dialogue will focus on building and strengthening the coalitions between faith and secular groups to achieve our common goals.
The Food Systems Summit is being organized by the Secretary General of the United Nations this fall. Members of civil society and governments from around the world are asked to contribute. This Global Inter-Faith Dialogue on September 2nd builds on a series of dialogues hosted by the Faith + Food Coalition partners in May and June of 2021. The coalition convened faith and wisdom keepers alongside those working at the intersection of food systems and policy development.
How can the role of faith and food in our lives better inform policies and prioritize implementation of regenerative practices that nourish our bodies and heal our earth instead of increasing harm? We are excited to be contributing interfaith, cross-sector dialogues to the food systems conversation. You can learn more about the Food Systems Summit here.
Register for September 2nd Dialogue

Virtual Launch of the Faith + Food Interfaith Statement
2021-09-17 11:00 - 12:00 UTC
Join us for the Virtual Launch of the Faith + Food Interfaith Statement! – Register Here
This summer, the Faith + Food Coalition hosted 5 dialogues corresponding to each of the 5 action tracks for the UN Food Systems Summit. The goal was simple: to host multilateral dialogues about our food systems through the lens of faith and values.
Friday, September 17th, the Faith + Food Coalition will offer a Virtual Launch of the Interfaith Statement presenting key concepts distilled and articulated by participants and coalition partners for inclusion at the UN Food Systems Summit 2021 and beyond.
Please consider signing on to the statement this week in advance of the UNFSS on September 23rd.
Learn More: https://www.faithandfood.earth/interfaith-statement
Food systems for healthy people and a healthy planet. ⁠ ⁠
Register
Virtual Launch with Martin Frick, Deputy to the Special Envoy – UNFSS 2021; Meera Baindur, Manipal University; Nate DeGroot, Hazon; Mona Polacca, Center for Earth Ethics; Felipe Carazo, Tropical Forest Alliance (WEF); and Bibi la Luz Gonzalez, Eat Better Wa’ik.

Faith & Climate Summit: The Final Sprint to COP 26
2021-09-20
Join us for a discussion with the global interfaith community about our role heading into COP26 and beyond. The UK COP26 Presidency will give an update on the status of negotiations. We will also announce new faith-based climate commitments. Reach out to Joshua Basofin at joshua@parliamentofreligions.org to discuss your organization’s climate commitment.
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Faith & Climate Summit: The Final Sprint to COP 26
Sept 20th, 2021 at 11 am Eastern Time / 10 am Central Time
REGISTER NOW

UN Food Systems Summit
2021-09-23
The People’s Summit has arrived!

The UN Food Systems Summit, held during the UN General Assembly in New York on September 23, is setting the stage for global food systems transformation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Find out more >

The Center for Earth Ethics will participate in the #UNFSS2021 during Climate Week NYC, 20-26 September 2021.
Join us for the Faith + Food Virtual Interfaith Statement Launch leading up to the summit on September 17th at 11 am!

Learn More:
Faith + Food Interfaith Statement: https://www.faithandfood.earth/interfaith-statement
UN Food Systems Summit, September 23rd: https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit
Climate Week NYC: https://www.climateweeknyc.org/

Indigenous Water Ethics: A Traditional Dialogue
2021-10-07 12:00 - 14:00 UTC
Join us for a dialogue conducted in a traditional way highlighting voices of Indigenous perspectives on water ethics. REGISTER
Water is fundamental to all life on Earth. Protecting water is essential for ecosystem restoration, biodiversity, food justice and calming the climate crisis. As we seek to build frameworks for regenerative systems, Indigenous peoples—who already safeguard water and hold ancestral knowledge and cultural practices necessary to support that work—deserve a place at the center.
Join the Center for Earth Ethics on Thursday, October 7, at noon Eastern Time, for a webinar, “Indigenous Water Ethics: A Traditional Dialogue.” Mona Polacca, senior fellow for CEE’s Original Caretakers Program, has assembled representatives of different Indigenous cultures to present their diverse perspectives and lived experiences stabilizing, protecting and creating resiliency for their communities’ water sources.
REGISTER

Convener:
Mona Polacca is the senior fellow for the Original Caretakers Program at the Center for Earth Ethics. She is an educator and facilitator whose knowledge, empathy and values motivate others to speak and act. She has a special interest in older people and youth, and has led or participated in many effective initiatives related to Indigenous water issues and culturally appropriate health treatments for Native Americans.
Mona is a longtime active participant in the United Nations Permanent Forum of Indigenous Peoples Issues and has been invited to speak in global forums and assist in drafting declarations. In December 2008, Mona had the distinguished honor of being the representative of the Indigenous Peoples on a panel of world religious leaders. These panelists drafted and signed a statement, “Faith in Human Rights,” in commemoration of the 60th Year of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In May 2013, she and others presented an intervention at the UNPFII, “A Call for the Indigenous World Forum on Water & Peace.” Her efforts have included providing support to First Nations to build capacity to take action on climate change, build sustainable communities, protect lands and waters, and conserve biodiversity.

Speakers include:

Rāwiri Tinirau is of Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi descent, and has genealogical connections to several hapū (extended family groupings) and iwi (collections of hapū) who have connections with and interests in the Whanganui River. He is co-director of Te Atawhai o Te Ao, a Māori research institute focused on health and environmental research, as well as deputy chair of Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui, the post settlement governance entity for the Whanganui River settlement. Rāwiri serves on a number of governance and advisory boards, and has several interests, including Māori community development, performing arts, education and Māori business and economic development. In his spare time, he likes to spend time in and on the Whanganui River.

Austin Nunez is the Chairman of the Wa:k – San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation located in the arid Sonoran Desert region of southwestern Arizona, with a population of 2,300. He will present a case-study about a 23-year legal challenge to regain his tribe’s inherent water rights. “Our once flowing river and underground water sources for the land base of our 27,000-acre reservation were compromised due to the over pumping of our aquifer by the non-Indigenous settlers as they started to drill ground water wells beginning in the late 1800’s. The challenge started in 1975, in the end, an out of court settlement was reached granting us 50,000 acre feet per year of Colorado River water, via an approximately 300-mile pipeline, and 10,000 acre feet of natural groundwater per year and were awarded a cash settlement to rehabilitate our farm. Our story needs to be told to provide lessons learned, and to instill hope in other similarly situated indigenous communities throughout the world.”

Gaeñ hia uh, Betty Lyons (Onondaga Nation, Snipe Clan), executive director of the American Indian Law Alliance (AILA), is an Indigenous and environmental activist and citizen of the Onondaga Nation. She serves as a member of the Haudenosaunee External Relations Committee and has been an active participant at the annual United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues since the first session in 2001 as a delegate of the Onondaga Nation. Betty continues to work for the protection of Indigenous peoples who are fighting to protect their traditions, territories, resources, and care for Mother Earth. Out of her concern for Indigenous peoples and Mother Earth, Betty serves on numerous boards like: 4 The Future Foundation, Connie Hogarth Center, Center for Earth Ethics, The MOST, Skä•noñh- Great Law of Peace Center Academic Collaborative, and is Co-Chair of the Center of Earth Ethics Advisory Board.

Sustainable Food Systems to Overcome Hunger
2021-10-08 09:00 - 11:00 UTC
“Sustainable Food Systems to Overcome Hunger”

Friday, 8 October 2021
9 a.m. New York | 3 p.m. Geneva | 4 p.m. Nairobi | 6:30 p.m. New Delhi | 10 p.m. Bangkok
This webinar will offer feedback and analysis of last month’s United Nations Food Systems Summit and examine the process leading to it. CEE Director of Sustainability and Global Affairs Andrew Schwartz is among the expert voices in the faith traditions who will help discern key lessons from this process aimed at food systems transformation.
Speakers & Resource persons

Dr. Agnes Abuom, Moderator, World Council of Churches
Ms. Winnifred Mailu, Christian AID
Mr. Andrew Bartlett Kang, PC USA Hunger Programme
Mr. Andrew Schwartz, Director of Sustainability and Global Affairs, Centre for Earth Ethics
Rev. Nicta Lubale, Secretary General, Organisation of African Instituted Churches
Mr. Francis Kamau, Agripreneur, Kenya
Co_Moderators: Ms. Katlego Mohuba (South Africa) and Mr. Tsiry Nantenaina (Madagascar)

Please register for the event via the following link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0udeitqTsjH9yHRrQltWxuvNvjGC28LIll

Green the Church National Virtual Summit
2021-10-10 - 2021-10-13
The Center for Earth Ethics is proud to be a sponsor of the Green the Church National Virtual Summit, October 10th through 13th, 2021.
Green Lessons from Black Wall Street
Infrastructure, Agriculture, and Equity
…for the people had a mind to work – Nehemiah 4:6c
This 4-day Summit will include national Environmental Justice voices and thought leaders, worship services, panel discussions, breakout sessions, a sermon library, networking, sponsorship opportunities, and much more.
Registration will be available @ $125 from October 1st – 10th.
Register Here
The Green the Church 2021 Summit Honorary Chair is Rev. Dr. Gerald L. Durley, Interfaith Power & Light Board Chair, Pastor Emeritus, Providence Missionary Baptist Church, Atlanta GA.
The Green the Church 2021 Summit Honoree is Mrs. Veronica Kyle, Statewide Outreach Director at Faith in Place, Adjunct Professor and Co-Founder of the EcoWomanist institute.
Learn More about the Summit and Participating Speakers
Register Here

We Cry Justice!
2021-10-12
We Cry Justice: Reading the Bible with the Poor People’s Campaign
Tuesday, October 12, 7 p.m. EDT
Join a book launch for “We Cry Justice: Reading the Bible with the Poor People’s Campaign”, edited by Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis with a Foreword by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II. With contributions from CEE Executive Director Karenna Gore and more than 30 others, this revolutionary text offers a unique perspective on some of the most radical passages in scripture, is available today!
Join the in-person launch at 320 West 37th Street in Manhattan at 7 p.m. Or join the livestream at https://kairoscenter.org/livestream/

Restoring a Connection to Nature -- Spirit of Mother Jones
2021-10-14 12:00 - 13:00 UTC
Restoring a Connection to Nature: A Native American Perspective
Thursday, October 14, 2021
9 a.m. Los Angeles | 12 p.m. New York | 5 p.m. Cork
REGISTER

Current environmental crises often stem from the belief that we are separate from our natural world and focus on human development. What can we learn from an Indigenous perspective?
Join on Tuesday, October 14, at noon EDT for “Restoring a Connection to Nature: A Native American Perspective” with CEE Original Caretakers Senior Fellow Mona Polacca.
The UN 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals repeatedly call for valuing the Indigenous perspective yet they rarely have a seat at the table. What does it mean to be Indigenous? How can we better care for biodiversity, food systems, ecosystem restoration or water?
All are welcome to this wonderful opportunity to learn directly from a traditional Indigenous elder who has worked extensively in the realm of social and environmental justice
REGISTER
This special collaborative event is run in partnership with The Center for Earth Ethics and the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival, Shandon, Cork.
The event will launch the tenth annual Spirit of Mother Jones 2021 Festival and the UCC Community Week 2021.

World Food Day: Faith + Food Post-Summit Reflection
2021-10-16
Stay tuned for news about World Food Day including a Faith + Food Coalition update and Post Summit Reflections!

Water and Spirituality for Climate Adaptation: UNFCC COP 26
2021-10-19 07:00 - 08:20 UTC
Water and Spirituality for Climate Adaptation: A Community WebinarTuesday, October 197 a.m. New York | 1 p.m. CEST
REGISTER
What does a spiritual view on climate challenges look like? Can spirituality prove to be a source of resilience to climate change effects? How do we build upon our water-related cultural heritage to forge strategies for climate change adaptation?
On Tuesday, October 19, join Senior Fellow Mona Polacca, CEE Advisory Board member Marvie Misolas, and other representatives of Indigenous groups and faith-based communities for a dialogue that will address these and other questions about water-related spirituality.
People have always understood the dependence on water to sustain life, health, economies and ecosystems. All societies and religions have developed visions, rituals and practices related to water. Despite this water-related cultural heritage, its significance for present and future climate challenges is not widely recognized, because of the complexity of our relations with water and disciplinary and institutional divides between water managers and heritage experts.
The dialogue aims to initiate a converation among spiritual leaders in advance of the UN Water Decade Midterm Review in New York in 2023.
The program (subject to change) includes the following:

Moderator: Sergio Ribeiro, Director General of CIRAT, Brazil, and Board Member of ICOMOS ISC Water
A vision on adaptation to climate change in the Laudato si’, the second encyclical of Pope Francis: Maria Hammershoy, Secretary General, Caritas Denmark
A vision on adaptation to climate change: Austin Núñez, Leader of the Wa:k Community, San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation near Tucson, Arizona, USA and Mona Polacca, Native American Spiritual Elder: Hopi, Tewa, Havasupai traditions, Arizona, USA
A vision on adaptation to climate change: Valériane Bernard, Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University UN Representative
A vision on adaptation to climate change – A Buddhist Perspective: Dharma Master Hsin Tao, Founding Abbot of the Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society and founder of the Museum of World Religions
A vision on adaptation to climate change – Iberê Guarani Mbyá, Leadership, Guanary People, Brazil
A vision on adaptation to climate change – Sister Marvie Misolas, Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic’s
Reflection on the dialogue by representative of the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations

The dialogue aims to initiate a conversation among spiritual leaders to inspire the UN Water Decade Midterm Review to be held in New York in 2023. It is organized by the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Water and Heritage, or ISC Water, which bridges these divides through dialogues among political, professional and spiritual leaders, interdisciplinary research, collecting and disseminating best practices, and developing guidance.
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Rally for Our Water, Stop MVP
2021-10-20
Rally for Our Water
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
4 p.m. Los Angeles | 6 p.m. Chicago | 7 p.m. Washington, D.C.

REGISTER

Join your friends, neighbors, and allies from Virginia and beyond to show our solidarity and boost our energy to continue to victory!

This is an urgent moment in the fight against the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The enthusiasm and dedication of activists, citizens, and nonprofits helped to stop the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a project many said was a done deal. Now we need all of our allies and fighters now, more than ever, to stop the MVP.
Join us on Wednesday, Oct 20, to learn how you can help and why now is the time to raise your voice.
Wild Virginia will host a webinar with information about the opportunity for the public to affect the decision by the Virginia State Water Control Board about the MVP’S future.
Our featured speaker will be Karenna Gore, the founder and executive director of the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary.
While the direct focus of this rally is on the pipeline, the issues involved are much larger.
Anyone who is motivated to oppose wasteful and harmful fossil fuel infrastructure that will cause damage in the short term and prolong our urgent transition to clean energy — this is your fight.
Anyone who wants to ensure decision makers meet their legal and ethical duties to protect us and our resources — this is your fight.
The MVP battle has become a national focal point in the vital effort to achieve justice and sound policies on water pollution and energy choices.
REGISTER ONLINE.

"The Ants and the Grasshopper" Documentary Screening
2021-10-26 18:00 - 20:00 UTC
The Center for Earth Ethics, Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary and the Kairos Center will co-host a screening of new documentary by Raj Patel called “The Ants and the Grasshopper.” REGISTER
The film follows Anita Chitaya of Malawi as she goes to the US Midwest, and communities of color in Detroit and the White House. She sparks discourse about climate (and food justice, gender, race, etc) along the way, including using her Biblical fluency to talk to climate skeptics. This is intention from Raj Patel:
As the COP26 climate summit approaches in November, we very much hope that communities of people of faith are able to heed the call for justice, and that this film might serve as the basis for taking action.
A panel discussion will follow moderated by EDS at Union’s Dean Kelly Brown Douglas.

Uniting the World to Tackle Climate Change: Perspectives from Religion and Politics
2021-10-29 07:15 - 08:00 UTC
On Friday, October 29, at 12:15 p.m. Scotland Time (7:15 a.m. in New York), Karenna Gore, executive director of the Center for Earth Ethics, will deliver the opening address at “Uniting the World to Tackle Climate Change: Perspectives from Religion and Politics,” an international conference hosted by the Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics at Scotland’s University of St. Andrews.

The three-day virtual conference will address the theme of the United Nations Climate Conference, or COP26, which begins on November 1, in relation to religion and politics. Scholars from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas are scheduled to participate. The COP26 CSRP Scholars Conference is being hosted in conjunction with Scholars at the Peripheries (a group of scholars from the Global South) and Laudato Si’ International (a group that has been working to understand and deliver the message of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ on the care of the planet as the common home).

Click here to register on Eventbrite

Multifaith Vigil at COP 26
2021-10-31 10:00 - 11:00 UTC
The future of our planet hangs in the balance, as world leaders meet in Glasgow for the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference. Your prayers and presence can help secure a livable future. Join ICNY, Interfaith Glasgow, Interfaith Scotland, and the Scottish Religious Leaders Forum for a multifaith vigil to express our shared love for life on earth, and shared hope that COP26 delegates will commit to the actions required to save it!
Join the livestream at tiny.cc/COP26VigilLive from 10-11 AM ET this Sunday, 10/31. We hope you will join us in prayer for our planet.

Climate and Nature: The Role of the Faith - Based Organizations
2021-11-01 10:00 - 11:00 UTC
Want to explore the role of faith and spirituality in addressing the nature and #ClimateCrisis?
Join leaders from international faith-based organizations at #COP26 as they discuss how humanity can reorient itself to live in harmony with nature.
Livestream at WWF Climate and Energy:bit.ly/3Gmgvji

In Conversation: Nature’s Community
2021-11-02
Conservation for Hope – Expo 2020 Dubai
Explore the intersection of ancient knowledge and new technologies, delve into the realm of law-making for Mother Earth and learn from award-winning collaborations and Indigenous leaders.
This one-day event offers attendees the chance to re-imagine global systems through the lens of Indigenous cultures, to learn how to collaborate with nature, exploring innovative Nature-based Solutions and the long-standing relationship between the natural world and human communities.
Join a discussion where traditional meets science and Indigenous experts convene with business executives. An unique opportunity to learn why Indigenous knowledge systems are at the forefront of planetary protection, central to designing regenerative and biodiverse global systems and critical to governments’ abilities to meet new international targets for biodiversity and climate.
In Conversation: Nature’s Community
Nature is embedded in the culture of Indigenous communities around the world. These ancient knowledge systems provide guidance to safeguard nature and leadership in addressing the climate and biodiversity crises.
Participants are invited to join a participatory welcome ceremony, led by Grandmother Mona Polacca, Hopi, Havasupai, Tewa Elder and Chair of the International Council of the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers.
Following the ceremony, Grandmother Mona Polacca will lead a conversation about her own heritage, offering insights into building human relationship to nature.
In the spirit of the day, this session will turn from talk to conversation and selected audience members will be invited on-stage to participate in a listen- ing exchange, exploring the potential of Nature-based Solutions to address societal challenges, benefit biodiversity and support human well-being.
Expo 2020 Dubai Schedule
“Nature’s Community” with Mona Polacca at Conservation of Hope one day event November 2nd

Postcolonial Poetics: Aliou Niang on the Human-Nature Relationship
2021-11-05 12:00 - 13:30 UTC
How can we understand the Bible and other faith teachings in the context of today’s ecological crisis? How can we restore traditional practices that once directed a mutual relationship among God, humans and nature?

These are among the questions raised by Aliou Niang, associate professor of New Testament at Union Theological Seminary, in “A Poetics of Postcolonial Biblical Criticism: God, Human-Nature Relationship, and Negritude” (2019). Niang will discuss these and other issues raised in his book in a webinar on Friday, November 5, at noon Eastern Time.

At the discussion, Columbia University Professor of French and of Philosophy Souleymane Diagne, who also directs the Institute of African Studies at Columbia, will offer a response to Niang’s presentation.

Rev. Petra Thombs, executive director of the Ramapough Lenape Nation Community Center in Mahwah, N.J., will provide a reflection.

“Postcolonial Poetics: Aliou Niang on the Human-Nature Relationship” is co-sponsored by the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary and the Institute for African Studies at Columbia University.

Protect Our Air, Our Lives
2021-11-27 14:00 - 16:00 UTC
Shelter 21 — Angler’s Park
350 Northside Drive
Danville, VA 24540
Parents can’t control the air our children breathe. We depend on our leaders to do their jobs and protect our children. We want to identify real climate leadership, and we need actionable commitments from our leaders.
On Saturday, November 27, join William Barber III and other local activists in Danville, Virginia, who are taking action to protect our most vulnerable communities from the impacts of the Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate Air Compressor Station.
Scheduled speakers include William Barber III, Crystal Cavalier, and Desiree Shelley.

Faith & Climate Summit #2
2021-12-08 09:00 - 12:00 UTC
On Wednesday, December 8th join the Parliament of the World’s Religions for the Faith & Climate Summit #2.
With the close of COP26 the Parliament in partnership with Bhumi Global, the Center for Earth Ethics, Dayenu, EcoSikh, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, UK COP26 Presidency, UN Environment Programme Faith for Earth, and World Resources Institute invites you to join us for a debrief and robust discussion about the faith community’s continued engagement with UNFCCC and climate action more broadly.
Learn more at https://parliamentofreligions.org/blog/interfaith-partners-gather-faith-climate-summit-2

Clinical Climate Change Conference: Mental Health and Well-being for Patients and Clinicians
2022-01-07 09:30 - 15:30 UTC
The Center for Earth Ethics is honored to be a sponsor for the fourth annual Clinical Climate Conference organized by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai on Friday, January 7, 2022. This year’s conference, which runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern Time, will be held virtually and will address the theme of Mental Health and Well-being for Patients and Clinicians. CEE Executive Director Karenna Gore will address a workshop on “Taking Action as an Antidote to Anxiety.”

Learn More & Register

Worldwide Climate and Justice Teach-In Information Session
2022-01-13 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York)
As the Worldwide Teach-in on Climate and Justice continues to mobilize half a million educators, students and community members to participate in its historic global event on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, faith communities have a vital role to play in addressing climate change and creating just climate solutions.

To help describe the roles that faith communities and people of faith can take in the Worldwide Teach-In, Bard and CEE are holding information sessions on Thursday, January 13, 2020, at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. (New York time). Interested individuals can register here to learn ways to engage people from their faith community in serious dialogue about climate solutions and justice in the transition.

CEE Executive Director Karenna Gore will be a guest speaker at these sessions.
